Oceanic Art Society

Promoting the understanding and appreciation of Oceanic art.

OAS Journal Lecture Reviews & Updates

Navigating for a Place in the Museum: Stories of Encounter and Engagement between the Old and the New from the Highlands of Papua New Guinea

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A paper by Dr Michael Mel, Australian Museum. Reviewed by Bill Rathmell Dr Michael Mel. Image courtesy of the Australian Museum, Sydney. Michael Mel, the Manager of Pacific and International Collections at the Australian Museum in Sydney, is well known in Oceanic art circles. In an interview in the OAS Journal Vol 23 (2018, #2) […]

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Noah’s Art – Floating art galleries of Indonesia

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by Jeffrey Mellefont, Honorary Research Associate, Australian National Maritime Museum The subject of my recent lecture to Oceanic Art Society (OAS) in March – the artistry that can be found on many of the timber sea craft of Indonesia both today and in the past – grew from a wider research interest that has drawn […]

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Three busts and a cape – the adventurous life of Hongi Hika

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Story by Brent Kerehona | Image Caption: Bust of Hongi Hika, possibly self-portrait, carved 1814 in Parramatta, NSW Australia. Brighton Hove Museum, United Kingdom, photo © Brent Kerehona. Ki te whei ao, ki te ao maarama, Ki te whei ao, ki te ao maarama,Tihei Mauri Ora! (From out of the darkness, into the light,From out […]

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New Guinea: What I Did and What I Saw

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by Barry Craig My first experience of New Guinea  was at Telefomin 1962-1965. I had graduated with a degree in Social Anthropology at University of Sydney 1960, gained a Diploma of Education 1961 and signed up as an Education Officer with the Department of Territories administration in Papua New Guinea. While at Telefomin, I hosted […]

Aesthetics of New Guinea Art – Part II

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Lecture by Michael Hamson, Savage Club, Melbourne, 21 October 2017 This article continues on from Part One which appeared in the last edition of the OAS Journal where Mr. Hamson looked at the criteria of Age; Technical Virtuosity, and Clarity in assessing New Guinea art. Colour It is hard to over-emphasize the importance of colour […]

Aesthetics of New Guinea Art

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Lecture by Michael Hamson, Savage Club, Melbourne, 21 October 2017 Introduction Aesthetics by definition are subjective — being one’s response to and appreciation of beauty. That subjective dimension becomes even more pronounced when discussing artifacts made by another culture where beauty may not have been a facture when producing the object or a facture important […]

Navigating for a ples namel: Between the Museum, Collections, and Communities

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Saturday 11 November 2017 – OAS Lecture as part of our AGM.  10:00am registration, AGM 10:30am, 11:00am lecture in The Australian Museum. Michael A. Mel will be presenting an illustrated talk on Navigating for a ples namel: Between the Museum, Collections, and Communities This paper focuses discussion on museums with cultural objects that were obtained […]

Fijian Gods, Sacred Objects and Temples

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NEXT LECTURE Wednesday 20 September 2017 – OAS Lecture 6:30 arrival, 7:00 lecture in The Centenary Auditorium, Art Gallery of NSW. Refreshments available afterwards in the Art Gallery cafe and restaurant. Please note that this is the last of our free lectures at the Art Gallery for OAS members and friends, so bring as many […]

Stoned – Lithic Technology of the Ancient Polynesians

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Lecture to Oceanic Art Society, Sydney, 19 July 2017. Mark Blackburn’s talk on the lithic technology of the ancient Polynesians at the Australian Museum on 19 July 2017 was educational and well received. An avid collector of Polynesian artifacts for many years, Mark also provided attendees the rare chance to see and handle some finely […]